It was 105 degrees in Anaheim. Think about that for a second. In July 1967, the Big A wasn't just a stadium; it was a literal oven. The players were miserable. The fans were sweating through their shirts. Everyone just wanted to go home, but the game wouldn't let them. That’s the thing about the 1967 All Star Game—it was a beautiful, exhausting, low-scoring mess that lasted way longer than anyone invited to the party actually wanted.
Most people look back at the sixties and think about the home run hitters. Mantle, Mays, Aaron. They were all there. But the 1967 All Star Game was the night the pitchers decided to take over the world. It’s still the longest All-Star Game in history by time, taking three hours and forty-one minutes to decide absolutely nothing until the very end.
The Night the Bats Went Cold
Baseball in the late 60s was tilting heavily toward the guys on the mound. 1968 is usually called the "Year of the Pitcher," but you can see the writing on the wall right here in '67. You had 30 future Hall of Famers in the dugouts. Thirty! It’s basically a Cooperstown reunion happening in real-time. Yet, for fifteen innings, these legends looked like they were swinging garden hoses.
The National League was on a roll back then. They’d won four in a row. They had this swagger. But the American League pitching staff, led by guys like Dean Chance and Jim Hunter, wasn't having it.
The game stayed 1-1 for a ridiculous amount of time. Richie Allen (then Dick Allen) hit a solo shot in the second for the NL. Brooks Robinson tied it up for the AL in the sixth. Then? Nothing. Zeroes. For nine straight innings, nobody could cross the plate. It was tense. It was kind of boring if you like offense, but if you love the art of the slider, it was a masterpiece.
Pitching Dominance or Just Tired Legs?
You’ve gotta wonder if the heat played a role. It’s hard to generate bat speed when the air feels like a wet blanket. Dry heat or not, 105 degrees is brutal.
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- Ferguson Jenkins was a monster. He struck out six batters in three innings. That was a record at the time. He was just carving people up.
- Tom Seaver, a rookie at the time, made his first appearance. He ended up getting the save, which is a wild way to start a Midsummer Classic career.
- Jim "Catfish" Hunter threw five innings of relief. In an All-Star Game! Today, a manager would be fired for letting a star pitcher go five innings in an exhibition, but 1967 was a different universe.
Tony Perez and the 15th Inning Heroics
By the time the 15th inning rolled around, the stadium lights were buzzing and the players were probably dreaming of ice baths. Tony Perez, the Cincinnati Reds legend, finally stepped up. He was facing Catfish Hunter. Hunter was tired. He’d been out there way too long.
Perez caught a hanging curveball and drove it into the left-field bleachers. That was it. One swing. The National League won 2-1. It wasn't a blowout. It wasn't a fireworks show. It was a war of attrition.
Honestly, the MVP award could have gone to about five different pitchers, but you give it to the guy who finally ends the misery. Perez took the trophy. He deserved it just for letting everyone go back to their hotels.
The Rosters Were Total Overkill
Looking at the box score for the 1967 All Star Game feels like reading a "Who's Who" of 20th-century greatness.
National League Highlights:
Hank Aaron. Lou Brock. Roberto Clemente. Willie Mays. Bill Mazeroski. Joe Morgan. This lineup is basically illegal. Even the bench players were legends. Orlando Cepeda was on that team. Ron Santo was there. It’s hard to wrap your head around how a team with that much power only managed two runs over 15 innings.
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American League Highlights:
The AL had Al Kaline, Mickey Mantle (who struck out as a pinch hitter, sadly), and Harmon Killebrew. Carl Yastrzemski was in the middle of his Triple Crown season. He went 3-for-7. He was the only guy who really seemed to have the timing down that night.
Why This Game Still Matters
We talk about "The Year of the Pitcher" in 1968 because Bob Gibson had a 1.12 ERA and everyone freaked out. But the 1967 All Star Game was the true preview. It showed that the strike zone was too big and the pitchers were too good. After 1968, they eventually lowered the mound, but in 1967, the pitchers were kings.
It also cemented the National League's dominance of that era. They just seemed to have more depth. Even when the stars failed, a guy like Tony Perez could come off the bench and crush your soul.
There’s also the historical context. This was the first All-Star Game played at night on the West Coast. It was a massive TV event for NBC. It showed that baseball could be a prime-time powerhouse, even if the game itself was a defensive slog.
What People Get Wrong About 1967
A lot of fans think the "dead ball" era was just the early 1900s. Not true. The mid-60s were a graveyard for batting averages. When you look at the 1967 All Star Game, don't assume the hitters were "off." Assume the pitchers were simply ahead of the curve. They were using the slider more effectively than ever before.
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Also, people forget that this was one of the last times we saw the "Old Guard" and the "New Guard" collide. You had Mays and Mantle on the same field as Seaver and Rod Carew. It was a passing of the torch that took 15 innings to complete.
How to Appreciate This Game Today
If you want to understand the history of the sport, you have to watch the highlights of this game. You can find fragments on YouTube or in the MLB archives. Notice the delivery of the pitchers. Notice the lack of batting helmets with ear flaps. It’s a different world.
To really get the most out of the 1967 All Star Game legacy, keep these points in mind:
- Check the Strikeouts: The two teams combined for 30 strikeouts. In 1967, that was an insane number. It signaled a shift in how the game was played—moving away from "put the ball in play" to "power vs. power."
- Study the Pitching Rotations: Look at how long the starters stayed in. The concept of a "specialist" didn't exist yet.
- The Heat Factor: Imagine playing 15 innings in wool jerseys in 100-degree weather. Modern players have moisture-wicking tech. These guys had heavy fabric and no air conditioning in the dugouts.
The 1967 All Star Game wasn't the most exciting game if you love 12-10 slugfests. But it was arguably the most "pure" baseball game of that decade. It was a test of will. It was Tony Perez finally breaking through a wall of elite pitching.
Next time you see a game go into extra innings and people start complaining about how long it's taking, just remind them of Anaheim in '67. Remind them of the 105-degree heat and the 15 innings of scoreless tension. Baseball has always been a game of patience. That night, everyone—the players, the fans, and the managers—had their patience tested to the absolute limit.
Actionable Insights for Baseball History Buffs
- Research the 1968 Rules Change: To understand why this game was so low-scoring, look into how MLB lowered the pitching mound from 15 inches to 10 inches following the 1968 season. The 1967 game was a major catalyst for this discussion.
- Compare Roster Construction: Look at the 1967 rosters versus today's All-Star rosters. Note the lack of specialized relief pitchers (closers/set-up men) in the 60s compared to the modern era.
- Track the "Big Red Machine" Origins: See how Tony Perez's performance served as a precursor to the Cincinnati Reds' dominance in the 1970s. This was his "arrival" moment on a national stage.
- Visit the Hall of Fame Archives: If you’re ever in Cooperstown, look for the 1967 artifacts. The sheer number of Hall of Famers in this specific game makes it one of the most concentrated collections of talent ever assembled on one field.